How technologies have improved productivity in livestock systems on Yorkshire farms

The paper advocates that the approach helps mitigate climate change while feeding a rapidly growing global population through accelerated innovation and enhanced production efficiencies.

It claims by embracing technologies would create opportunities for the livestock sector including improved health and welfare, with real time monitoring providing data on behaviours that can assist with detection of potential health issues.

The paper states technology would lead to environmental improvements, such as managing waste and improving land use efficiency and boost antimicrobial resistance, with continuous health monitoring allowing for immediate intervention.

According to the MSD paper other benefits would include enhancing feed efficiency, growth rates, and breeding outcomes and food security while the automation of routine tasks allows staff to focus on more skilled activities.

The report states Howard and Tom Pattison, who run an AHDB strategic dairy farm near Northallerton with an operational focus on improving sustainability through enhanced production, have made significant improvements to the performance of their 280 pedigree Holstein herd with 130 followers since installing SenseHub Dairy in March 2022.

Calving and housed all year round, using the system which provides real-time actionable insights into individual animal and group reproduction, health, nutrition, and milk production, the Pattison’s closed herd is in the top few percent of UK dairy herds in terms of lifetime yield, with a current figure of 23.4kg of milk per day of life.

Tom Pattison said: “The health benefits of monitoring every cow 24/7 are paramount. The system sends a distress alert if there is either insufficient rumination or eating time for an extended period. It means you can respond immediately.”

Third-generation North Yorkshire pig farmer Joe Wilson, who manages a 750-sow breeding unit taking pigs to 50 kilos, on a weekly production system of 34 farrowings per week, earlier this year became the first farmer in the UK to trial LeeO, a piglet and sow ear tagging system which allows farmers to register, monitor and track each individual pig from birth to slaughter.

He said; “By tagging every individual pig, room and barn, I can get to the nitty gritty of efficiencies, which is key to adding value to the pig. I can influence growth and the time it takes us to get to slaughter, making instant decisions over the best sows for breeding stock, to go with the best sires.

“It also gives me traceability over diseases such as congenital tremors and over time, it will show me a sow’s progeny and genetic robustness.”